By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday August 8, 2023
Andy Murray picked up an impressive win, while Felix Auger-Aliassime and Dan Evans were stunned on Tuesday in Montreal.
Photo Source: Corleve
Andy Murray picked up an impressive win on Tuesday, edging past Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego on a windy day at the National Bank Open in Toronto, 7-6(3), 6-0, to set a second round clash with Max Purcell of Australia.
Murray saved a pair of set points in the opening set before running away in the second.
He improves to 11-11 on the season and 27-7 overall at the National Bank Open, where he has won titles in 2009, 2010 and 2015.
“It really wasn’t pleasant to play in,” said Murray of the conditions after his win. “It was really blustery, changing direction during the point…. So I was expecting it but it still adds a bit of stress to the match and it was a really tight first set.
“There were lots of opportunities each way, I managed to sneak through the tie-break and after that he was obviously a bit disappointed, and I relaxed a little bit.”
Auger-Aliassime - It's Just a Matter of Time
Murray will face Max Purcell, who defeated Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4 6-4 on his birthday, continuing a worrying trend for the Canadian, who has not won a match on tour since before Roland-Garros. Injuries and low confidence have slowed down the 23-year-old and his current losing streak hit four on Tuesday.
"I'm training well," Auger-Aliassime said. "Of course, I'm feeling good physically. So I try to think it's just a matter of time. It's tough with tennis. You get one chance from the first match. It's not like you have set matches the whole year and you can go out and just try to play.
"You have to win the first match, and I haven't been able to do that the last two weeks. But I'm confident that once I'll get a first win, then I can go further in the draw. It's just that it hasn't happened yet. It hasn't happened for a while. So I'll stay positive and try to keep working well."
Diallo Gets First ATP Win
Also falling victim on Tuesday was Dan Evans. The man who became the Mubadala Citi DC Open champion on Sunday, fell to 21-year-old Canadian Gabriel Diallo, 7-6(4), 7-5.
The talented Canadian, ranked 141, earns his first ATP win – he was ranked outside of the Top 500 this time last year.
He squandered two breaks in the final set, but broke Evans again for 6-5 and finally served out the victory.
"I was up a break multiple times in the second set, served for the match at 5-4," he said. "Obviously, the nerves come in. And first ATP match. I think I was 0 and 3 in ATP main draw matches. So, obviously, the doubt starts to creep in."
Diallo will face Alex de Minaur in the second round.
"But it's part of the game and everyone goes through that. So I would say, you know, what I did, what I'm proud of is I was able to bounce back right away. And every time I got broken, I was able to break right back, and it also sends a message to my opponent.
"Luckily, I got the job done."
Diallo, who reached the NCAA men's singles quarterfinals for the University of Kentucky in 2022, turned pro late last year.
Click here for all of Tuesday’s scores from Toronto and Montreal.